MDM Match and Merge Rules 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Informatica MDM, what is the purpose of the 'Segment Match' option in a match rule set?
- To split large match jobs into smaller segments for parallel processing
- To restrict matching so that records are only compared against others within the same segment (partition) value (Correct answer)
- To merge records in segments rather than all at once
- To separate match rule sets by data domain (e.g., Person vs. Organization)
Correct answer: To restrict matching so that records are only compared against others within the same segment (partition) value
Segment Match limits comparisons to records sharing the same segment column value, reducing false positives and improving performance by partitioning the match space.
Question 2: Which Informatica MDM batch job must be run before the 'Match' job to ensure match key tables are populated?
- Consolidate
- Load
- Tokenize (Correct answer)
- Publish
Correct answer: Tokenize
The Tokenize batch job must run first to generate and store match key tokens in the match token tables (_MTT); the Match job then uses those tokens to retrieve candidates.
Question 3: In Informatica MDM trust configuration, what does 'Downgrade Trust on Null' do?
- It sets the trust score to zero whenever the source record has a null value in that cell
- It reduces the effective trust score of a source system cell when the incoming update contains a null value (Correct answer)
- It prevents null values from being written to the golden record
- It triggers a workflow task when null trust scores are detected
Correct answer: It reduces the effective trust score of a source system cell when the incoming update contains a null value
Downgrade Trust on Null lowers the effective trust score of an update that delivers a null value, helping ensure existing non-null golden record values are not overwritten by null updates from lower-quality sources.
Question 4: What is the significance of the 'HUB_STATE_IND' column on a base object record in Informatica MDM?
- It tracks whether the record is active, pending delete, or has been logically deleted (Correct answer)
- It stores the last Hub batch job ID that processed the record
- It records the number of times the record has been merged
- It identifies which Hub Store schema version created the record
Correct answer: It tracks whether the record is active, pending delete, or has been logically deleted
HUB_STATE_IND indicates the lifecycle state of a base object record: 1 = active, 0 = pending delete, -1 = logically deleted (soft delete).
Question 5: When configuring an Informatica MDM merge rule, what does 'Last Updated' survivorship strategy mean?
- The golden record is always populated from the source system with the most recent record update timestamp (Correct answer)
- The most recently merged golden record overwrites all older versions
- The match rule set last modified in the Hub Console takes precedence
- The last batch job to run determines which cross-reference wins
Correct answer: The golden record is always populated from the source system with the most recent record update timestamp
The Last Updated survivorship strategy selects the cell value from the cross-reference record that was most recently updated, regardless of which source system it came from.
Question 6: In Informatica MDM, what is the role of the 'Merge Manager' (part of the Data Stewardship Portal)?
- It is a batch utility that schedules and monitors match and merge jobs
- It provides a UI for data stewards to review potential duplicates and approve or reject manual merges (Correct answer)
- It automatically resolves all pending merges without human input
- It manages the trust configuration and survivorship rules for each base object
Correct answer: It provides a UI for data stewards to review potential duplicates and approve or reject manual merges
Merge Manager is the Data Stewardship Portal screen where data stewards review candidate duplicate record pairs surfaced by the match process and decide whether to merge or unlink them.
Question 7: What happens to the ROWID_OBJECT of the surviving golden record after two records are merged in Informatica MDM?
- A new ROWID_OBJECT is generated to represent the merged record
- The ROWID_OBJECT of the higher-trust record is retained as the golden record identifier
- The ROWID_OBJECT of the record designated as the merge survivor is retained; the other record's ROWID becomes its cross-reference identifier (Correct answer)
- Both ROWID_OBJECTs are concatenated to form a composite key for the merged record
Correct answer: The ROWID_OBJECT of the record designated as the merge survivor is retained; the other record's ROWID becomes its cross-reference identifier
During merge, one record is designated the survivor and retains its ROWID_OBJECT as the golden record's identifier; the other record's ROWID is preserved in the _XREF table as a cross-reference.
MDM Match and Merge Rules 5
In Informatica MDM, what is the purpose of the 'Segment Match' option in a match rule set?